this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2024

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A 'male' humanoid robot was unveiled in Saudi Arabia. It then inappropriately touched a female reporter. (www.businessinsider.com)

submitted 8 months ago by empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

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[–] zqwzzle@lemmy.ca 226 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

The training data

[–] Cuntessera@sh.itjust.works 49 points 8 months ago

💀

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 43 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Am woman. This did cause me to smirk & forcefully blow air from my nose.

[–] zqwzzle@lemmy.ca 24 points 8 months ago

The highest honour an internet stranger can bestow.

[–] HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 18 points 8 months ago

It can be horrific, terrifying and funny all at the same time.

[–] pixxelkick@lemmy.world 103 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Must be a slow news day.

The robot is just moving around, AI isn't remotely close to at the point where a physical robot can "grope" a person intentionally.

The fact the video is so short says a lot. I'd expect anyone who watched would just see that the robot moves around all the time, and the reporter wasn't supposed to stand so close to it.

This isn't news.

Honestly kinda edges onto racism territory. "Hurr hirr, Saudi robot, groped woman, it's cuz it was made in Saudi"

Ew.

[–] state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de 45 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's not exactly newsworthy, but that a Saudi robot, from a country known for its bad treatment of women, touches a woman inappropriately, even if just by accident, reads like satire.

[+] pixxelkick@lemmy.world -16 points 8 months ago (1 children)

a country known for its bad treatment of women

Making assumptions about someone/something based off its country of origin sounds pretty xenophobic to me.

The robot didn't "grope" a woman, it moved its hand as an animitronic, and she was clearly standing right next to it during its animations.

The fact that was blatantly blown into "groping" abd the fact the article felt the need to repeat that it happened in Saudi repeatedly, over and over, should trip the xenophobia alarm.

Consider if it was an article about how an animitronic robot that moved and knocked a man's wallet out of his hand because he walked to close past it. I.agine if articles turned that into "Jewish made robot tries to steal man's wallet!" Unironically.

You'd probably look at that and go "yeah okay, that's pretty fucked up, whyd the do that?" Right?

[–] state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You are trying very hard to find things to be outraged over.

The robot was unveiled in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia has a well-documented history of treating women very poorly. I hope that's not something you'd dispute. Of course the robot is an automaton without any agency, but the combination of the sad history of Saudi Arabia's treatment of women combined with the fact that the robot was made up to look like a Saudi male and the touching of a women in an inappropriate manner was what made this humorous. "Even their robots mistreat women!" would be the gist of it. When the bad behavior comes from the very top and is so enshrined in the culture, as is the case in Saudi Arabia, then you don't have to mention the fact that not all Saudi men are this bad every time there's a conversation about it. Especially not when we're talking about a joke/satire. Because then we're just highlighting a single aspect and are not having a nuanced conversation.

[–] fidodo@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

It's just a silly story.

[–] seth@lemmy.world -5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I agree that it's not newsworthy, but what "race" is it edging toward singling out or looking down on?

[–] pixxelkick@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Arabic People? The race the robot is designed to look like and is dressed as?

Literally look at the other comments on this thread.

[–] seth@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I've read all of them, and didn't see anything about race, unless you see Saudi Arabians as a race, specifically the people in power. There are many different Arab peoples with completely different looks and values to Saudi rulers. I see a lot of critical comments about a pervasive patriarchal culture that is consistently and unapologetically misogynistic, actively opposed to equal rights for women (and other marginalized groups), and I don't see any problem with that kind of criticism in the same way I don't when it comes up in reference to nations where there isn't a dominant religious monoculture but still systemic repression of human rights. It's dangerous to conflate criticism of sexism and theocratic repression with racism.

[–] pixxelkick@lemmy.world -3 points 8 months ago

SMH

[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 74 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Being Business Insider, and the fact it said "appeared to" I was sceptical

Watched the video in the article and ha ha ha aye he's an Uncle Gropey 😂

Fuckin hell you couldn't make it up

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

The "back off buddy" hand gesture she gives the robot is pretty cute.

[–] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 50 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The robotics firm said staff had "proactively informed all attendees, including reporters, to maintain a safe distance from the robot during its demonstration."

Because they knew the robot is a serial rapist

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 3 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Sounds like victim blaming.

[–] mightyfoolish@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

It totally is. The robot is just an innocent week old bot and that older woman had no business grooming/training it.

[–] HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

I mean... yeah?? I think.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 44 points 8 months ago

Easy fix, get it to grope a man. They'll probably stone the bot then and there.

[–] Audrey0nne@leminal.space 43 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Not a bug, a feature.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 47 points 8 months ago (1 children)

yeah they literally outright said "it didn't deviate from expected behavior"

[–] Audrey0nne@leminal.space 17 points 8 months ago

What a future to live in. Don’t suppose people could get a living wage? Right on, just make pervy AI powered robots instead that’ll fix the problems.

[–] janNatan@lemmy.ml 37 points 8 months ago (4 children)

This is not news. The robot lifted it's hand and she was standing too close to the display. It barely qualifies as a robot anyway. It's not like it looked down and analyzed her butt. It's not that complicated.

[–] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 25 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It has wide field of view, no need to look down. It analyzed and decided to clap dat ass.

[–] No_Ones_Slick_Like_Gaston@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago

[–] Zipitydew@sh.itjust.works 18 points 8 months ago

Sure seems that way. I don't personally do controls engineering. But I know enough I wouldn't doubt that's just pre-programmed motion to attempt it looking "alive".

So 1) Seems much more like animatronics. 2) It certainly doesn't have advanced enough proximity detection AI would need.

The creators even claim they told people to stay back. That's not advanced at all. Even simple production line bots have collision detection.

[–] HeadfullofSoup@kbin.earth 9 points 8 months ago

How dare you use logic on the internet shame on you

[–] Icalasari@kbin.social 4 points 8 months ago

Thanks for saving me a read. I was expecting some basic object identification and retrieval AI getting confused by a pattern and groping to grab the "object"

[–] Pistcow@lemm.ee 36 points 8 months ago

Still has more rights than a woman.

[–] herrwoland@lemmy.world 22 points 8 months ago (1 children)

They called the robot Muhammad, they're lucky there weren't any children in the room.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

God, that would've been ebic

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 7 points 8 months ago

Sounds like it's ready to run the country already.

[–] Seraph@kbin.social 5 points 8 months ago

These things are getting so life like!

Not in appearance yet, but you gotta admit the robot understood the assignment.

[–] MechaJutaro@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

That robot was honoring the traditions set forth by The Near East's greatest potentates https://www.amazon.com/Love-Slave-Bertrice-Small/dp/0449002136

[–] excitingburp@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

Missed opportunity to call it Muhummanoid

[–] Rayspekt@kbin.social 3 points 8 months ago

Whamen respected

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

This is deliciously horrible.